Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People's Republic of China.
College of Bioengineering of Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, People's Republic of China.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2021 Sep;105(18):6597-6606. doi: 10.1007/s00253-021-11534-1. Epub 2021 Aug 31.
Sesquiterpenes are one of the most diverse groups of secondary metabolites that have mainly been observed in terpenoids. It is a natural terpene containing 15 carbon atoms in the molecule and three isoprene units with chain, ring, and other skeleton structures. Sesquiterpenes have been shown to display multiple biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-feedant, anti-microbial, anti-tumor, anti-malarial, and immunomodulatory properties; therefore, their therapeutic effects are essential. In order to overcome the problem of low-yielding sesquiterpene content in natural plants, regulating their biosynthetic pathways has become the focus of many researchers. In plant and microbial systems, many genetic engineering strategies have been used to elucidate biosynthetic pathways and high-level production of sesquiterpenes. Here, we will introduce the research progress and prospects of the biosynthesis of artemisinin, costunolide, parthenolide, and dendrobine. Furthermore, we explore the biosynthesis of dendrobine by evaluating whether the biosynthetic strategies of these sesquiterpene compounds can be applied to the formation of dendrobine and its intermediate compounds. KEY POINTS: • The development of synthetic biology has promoted the study of terpenoid metabolism and provided an engineering platform for the production of high-value terpenoid products. • Some possible intermediate compounds of dendrobine were screened out and the possible pathway of dendrobine biosynthesis was speculated. • The possible methods of dendrobine biosynthesis were explored and speculated.
倍半萜是萜类化合物中最多样化的次生代谢产物之一。它是一种天然萜类化合物，分子中含有 15 个碳原子，由三个异戊二烯单元组成，具有链状、环状和其他骨架结构。倍半萜类化合物具有多种生物活性，如抗炎、抗饲料、抗微生物、抗肿瘤、抗疟疾和免疫调节特性；因此，它们的治疗效果至关重要。为了克服天然植物中倍半萜含量低的问题，调节其生物合成途径已成为许多研究人员的关注焦点。在植物和微生物系统中，已经使用了许多遗传工程策略来阐明生物合成途径和高水平生产倍半萜。在这里，我们将介绍青蒿素、木香烃内酯、紫堇醇内酯和冬凌草甲素生物合成的研究进展和前景。此外，我们通过评估这些倍半萜化合物的生物合成策略是否可以应用于冬凌草甲素及其中间化合物的形成，来探讨冬凌草甲素的生物合成。关键点：
合成生物学的发展促进了萜类代谢的研究，并为高价值萜类产品的生产提供了工程平台。
筛选出冬凌草甲素的一些可能的中间化合物，并推测其生物合成途径。
探讨了冬凌草甲素生物合成的可能方法，并进行了推测。
